"The VERY rule on the 'requirement' to refuse illegal orders [in the Department of Defense Law of War Manual] gives as its paradigmatic example 'orders to fire upon the shipwrecked.'"
~ Ryan Goodman quoted by Greg Dworkin
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/1
dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/1…
Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The high seas murders are not being overlooked
New York Times : Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime Top Republicans have joined Democrats in demanding answers about the escalating military campaign the Trump ...Daily Kos
Kim Possible reshared this.
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Indulging all assumptions in favor of the administration’s boat strikes, killing helpless men is murder."
~ Jack Goldsmith
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/2
execfunctions.org/p/a-dishonor…
A Dishonorable Strike
Jack Goldsmith (Executive Functions)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Even if you buy the untenable claim that they are combatants, it is a war crime to intentionally kill combatants who have been rendered unable to fight. It is not permitted, under the laws and customs of honorable warfare, to order that no quarter be given — to apply lethal force to those who surrender or who are injured, shipwrecked, or otherwise unable to fight."
Andrew McCarthy
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/3
nationalreview.com/corner/we-i…
‘We Intended the Strike to Be Lethal’ Is Not a Defense
Andrew C. McCarthy (National Review)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Given that this situation presents the example the manual uses to teach members of the military about when it’s clear an order should be questioned, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone, especially at the command level, to claim ignorance and say they were not obligated to inquire into the legality of an order to do what the manual prohibits."
~ Joyce Vance
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/4
joycevance.substack.com/p/the-…
The Week Ahead
Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The Trump regime claims the [Washington Post] report is false, but the evidence has not been specifically debunked. No explanation has been given as to why the video was edited to omit this part of the attack [i.e., the second missile strike to kill men clinging to debris in the water after the first strike]."
~ Jennifer Rubin
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/5
contrarian.substack.com/p/war-…
War Crime...or Murder?
Jennifer Rubin (The Contrarian)Mastodon Migration reshared this.
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"No wonder Trump and his minions freaked out over Democratic congressmen and senators’ video advising military personnel not to follow illegal orders. It’s not Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) who should be investigated, but those threatening retribution for raising the red flag."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/6
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •“'Kill Them All' isn’t just a paraphrase of a Pentagon order – it is a perfect summation of so many of Trump’s current policies at home and abroad."
~ Asawin Suebsaeng
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/7
zeteo.com/p/kill-them-all-sums…
'Kill Them All' Sums Up Trump's Policies Perfectly
Asawin Suebsaeng (Zeteo)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, has urged Washington to investigate the strikes’ legality, saying there was 'strong evidence' they constituted 'extrajudicial' killings."
~ The Guardian
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/8
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/n…
Trump confirms he recently spoke with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro
Guardian staff reporter (The Guardian)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"In case anyone might have believed that the boat attacks were actually about drugs, Trump pardoned the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who actually did enable all of the narco-trafficking that Trump is accusing Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro of doing."
~ Marcie Jones
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/9
wonkette.com/p/the-man-comes-a…
The Man Comes Around: Tabs, Mon., Dec. 1, 2025
Marcie Jones (Wonkette)Mastodon Migration reshared this.
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"'We are going to stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses, and they’re never even going to know it,' Hernández once bragged.
It’s about the oil. And Republicans are not even pretending it isn’t!"
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/10
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"None of this is about drugs. We know this because Trump publicly stated in 2023 he would have taken control of Venezuela’s oil reserves had he won in 2020."
~ The Feed
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/11
thefeed1.substack.com/p/democr…
Democrats Said "Refuse Illegal Orders," Trump Lost His Mind. Now We Know Why.
The FeedWilliam Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"in a passage that should have Hegseth and those in the chain of command staring at the ceiling as they try to sleep at night, the Law of War Manual addresses the tactic of targeting survivors of shipwreck."
~ Robert B. Hubbell
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/12
roberthubbell.substack.com/p/t…
The tipping point, finally?
Robert B. Hubbell (Today's Edition Newsletter)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Pete Hegseth will spend much of the rest of his life justifying his illegal orders to kill non-combatant civilians in international waters and his order to 'kill everyone on board,' a command that implicitly ordered a violation of the law of war to target survivors."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/13
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •Paul Krugman notes the bizarre juxtaposition of the Trump administration sinking small boats while claiming with no evidence that they're smuggling drugs, and at the same time Trump declaring his intention to grant “a Full and Complete Pardon” to Juan Orlando Hernández, a former president of Honduras who has been convicted of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/14
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/tru…
Trump: Pro-crypto or Pro-crime?
Paul Krugmanreshared this
Democracy Matters and Mastodon Migration reshared this.
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"But there is a pattern to this murderous madness, once one connects the dots between Trump’s mob-boss persona and the billionaire crypto/tech broligarchy. ...
Why would Trump, whose poll numbers are cratering, generate even more negative headlines by pardoning Hernández, who was duly convicted of conspiring to send more than 400 tons (!) of cocaine to America?"
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/15
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The answer is the influence of the crypto/tech broligarchy. In fact, many of Trump’s pardons of the most egregious criminals are closely linked to their influence. ….
Whatever libertarians were in the past, they are now an extremist party, opposed to laws against drug smuggling, money laundering, any type of prudential government regulation, and – in the case of Thiel – opposed to democracy itself."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #crypto #broligarchy #libertarianism
/16
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"It should not go unnoticed that Trump saluted a party that proclaims 'Become Ungovernable' as its guiding principle, written with the anarchy a-symbol."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #crypto #broligarchy #libertarianism #PeterThiel #SiliconValley #TechBros
/17
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"World-Eaters. Cannibals. Parasites.
All suitable synonyms for the Wall Street vultures, insecure, racist Silicon Valley bros, and Trump’s broligarch friends who are drinking all of our milkshakes as veterans and government employees line up at food pantries because they can’t afford groceries."
~ Wajahat Ali
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #crypto #broligarchy #libertarianism #PeterThiel #SiliconValley #TechBros
/18
thelefthook.substack.com/p/the…
The Venture Capitalist Cannibals Destroying Our Economy
THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali (The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Curtis Yarvin, where democracy is incompatible with capitalism. And now Peter Thiel, with all of his money, has groomed J.D. Vance, who agrees with it. And now you have Mark Andresine and Mark Zuckerberg and all all these folks, Elon Musk, just openly going full authoritarian and in some cases with Musk and others going full fascist and flirting with Nazis."
~ Wajahat Ali
#Trump #broligarchy #libertarianism #PeterThiel #Musk #SiliconValley #TechBros
/19
thelefthook.substack.com/p/the…
The Venture Capitalist Cannibals Destroying Our Economy
THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali (The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"And essentially they're capturing, they're just capturing everything, capturing democracy, spending, you know, Elon Musk spent over $200 million, almost $300 million, excuse me, to try to get Trump elected, spent over $20 million in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race."
#Trump #broligarchy #libertarianism #PeterThiel #Musk #JDVance #CurtisYarvin #MarkZuckerberg #SiliconValley #TechBros
/20
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The Trump regime, having mostly completed its Blatant Revenge On Enemies Stage, still flexing its unashamed, impenitent Xenophobic Ethnic Hatred Stage, well into its Murderous Megalomaniacal Stage, has now robustly entered its Looting and Pillaging Stage. Donald Trump’s obscene wealth is getting pornographically larger because he has dropped all pretense. He is in this thing to plunder the world."
~ Gene Weingarten
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #Venezuela #oil
/21
geneweingarten.substack.com/p/…
It Takes a Pillage
gene weingarten (The Gene Pool)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Why did Trump do this [i.e., pardon drug lord Juan Orlando Hernández]? Let’s consider it a moment. Even The New York Times conceded it seemed to represent a 'remarkable dissonance' in Trump’s policy, which 1) suggests Trump has a coherent ‘policy,’ other than enriching himself, and 2) is true only if 'remarkable dissonance' can be de-sanewashed into 'hypocritical greed-lunge.'”
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/22
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The president and defense secretary are denying that they’re responsible for the kill order as described by the WaPo. Assuming the WaPo story to be accurate, the implication of their position is that service members on the ground exceeded their orders or otherwise failed to follow the rules of engagement."
~ David Kurtz
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/23
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.…
‘The Order Was to Kill Everybody’: A Savage Incident at Sea
David Kurtz (Morning Memo)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The fact that that’s the best the White House and Pentagon can come up with at this stage of the unfolding scandal is a good indicator of how bad the actual facts are."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/24
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The U.S. military has killed more than 80 people since the campaign began in early September. But it does not know who specifically is being killed., and the strikes were not designed to take out high-ranking cartel leaders."
~ Julian E. Barnes
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/25
nytimes.com/2025/11/27/us/poli…
J.P. reshared this.
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"The White House confirmed today that a second strike occurred during a September operation against what officials described as a drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean. The acknowledgment sharply escalated concerns among lawmakers and military legal experts, who warn that the action—if accurately described in recent reporting—"
~ Aaron Parnas
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/26
aaronparnas.substack.com/p/bre…
BREAKING: White House Confirms Second Strike, Possible War Crime or Murder
Aaron Parnas (The Parnas Perspective)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •(continued from /26)
"could constitute a grave breach of international law, potentially rising to the level of a war crime or unlawful killing. …
In a tense back-and-forth with reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt directly acknowledged the second strike, a critical detail at the center of the Washington Post’s reporting."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/27
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"This isn’t about protecting democracy or human rights, or fighting drug trafficking. Trump’s allies have been trying to justify military escalation by arguing that a war would allow the United States to 'seize all of Venezuela’s oil' and provide windfalls to American petroleum companies."
~ Ben Meiselas
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/28
meidasplus.com/p/monday-aftern…
Monday Afternoon News Updates - 12/1/25
MeidasTouch Network (Meidas+)William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Meanwhile, ordinary Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford rent, groceries, or basic healthcare. Instead of addressing those crises, Trump is threatening a foreign conflict for political distraction and corporate enrichment."
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/29
William Lindsey
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"It’s becoming a weekly ritual in Washington: wake up, pour the coffee, check the news, and discover that Pete Hegseth has once again done something that isn’t just dumb, but aggressively, flamboyantly illegal. Not questionable, not sloppy; illegal. This isn’t your routine bureaucratic blunder. This is full-contact stupidity with a side of federal criminal exposure."
~ Michael Cohen
#Trump #Hegseth #WarCrimes #murder #Venezuela #oil
/30
meidasplus.com/p/commander-clu…
Commander Clueless Strikes Again
Michael Cohen (Meidas+)indyradio
in reply to William Lindsey • • •Brian Gordon
in reply to William Lindsey • • •DIdn’t Obama also do second strikes in order to kill rescuers? Which is why this is very unlikely to ever be prosecuted, and they know it.
"A Venezuelan vessel suspected of drug trafficking? Fine; that’s what interdiction forces exist for. But blowing up the ship and then, according to multiple reports, allegedly green-lighting a second strike to eliminate two survivors clinging to debris? That’s not defense policy.”
#uspol
Kristen
in reply to William Lindsey • • •...a pleasant rascal
in reply to William Lindsey • • •'I was just following orders' is indefensible and will be cast aside.
Ignorance runs deep with this administration.
Timo
in reply to William Lindsey • • •Yvonne ‘looks undocumented’
in reply to Timo • • •Brian Gordon
in reply to William Lindsey • • •💯 Trump is a sociopath and has no concern in this world except himself.
"Why did Trump do this [i.e., pardon drug lord Juan Orlando Hernández]? Let’s consider it a moment. Even The New York Times conceded it seemed to represent a 'remarkable dissonance' in Trump’s policy, which 1) suggests Trump has a coherent ‘policy,’ other than enriching himself, and 2) is true only if 'remarkable dissonance' can be de-sanewashed into 'hypocritical greed-lunge.'”
#Trump
Nicole Parsons
in reply to William Lindsey • • •Also remember the source of Musk's money, Alwaleed bin Talal, Larry Ellison, Witkoff Capital.
What a coincidence.
reuters.com/graphics/MUSK-TWIT…
theguardian.com/technology/202…
forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/202…
motherjones.com/politics/2025/…
reuters.com/markets/deals/musk…
1. Elon Musk $291,482,587
opensecrets.org/elections-over…
1. SpaceX $288,723,409
opensecrets.org/elections-over…
forbesmiddleeast.com/billionai…
It's not the 1st time Republicans waged a war or coup to take out an oil competitor of Saudi Arabia. Iraq. Iran. Syria.
Exclusive: World’s Richest Arab Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal ($16.5B) Talks AI, Trade Wars And Saudi’s Next Chapter
Claudine Coletti (Forbes Middle East)Lightfighter
in reply to William Lindsey • • •William Lindsey
in reply to Lightfighter • • •Lightfighter
in reply to William Lindsey • • •sOlOw-NH
in reply to William Lindsey • • •Thad
in reply to William Lindsey • • •Some motherfuckers out there really hoping Ol' Pudding Brains keeps it together long enough to pardon them.
Or, failing that, that we get another Democrat in office who believes that the appropriate response to war crimes on the part of the previous administration is to say "we tortured some folks" and no second thing.
Thad
in reply to William Lindsey • • •RainbowFrog
in reply to William Lindsey • • •"Kill them all, God will know his own" was the kind of orders a papal envoy could give, in the 13th century, because, at the time, it was a question of "saving souls"...
Hegseth sure is not one of them 😏
Nicole Parsons
in reply to William Lindsey • • •It was a war crime ordered at the behest of Trump's billionaires.
Which ones?
Tim Mellon?
thehill.com/policy/defense/557…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/o…
cnbc.com/2025/10/25/trump-timo…
nytimes.com/2025/10/25/us/poli…
Venezuela paid its Trump bribe & is still under attack.
hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/…
nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/a…
thecanary.co/explainer/2025/11…
forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025…
atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-…
The expert conversation: What’s Trump’s endgame in Venezuela? - Atlantic Council
dhojnacki (Atlantic Council)